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Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #5 Review

Does the Twelfth Doctor have any cards left up his sleeves? Or will this story end as disappointingly as it began? Read on to find out. The official description from Titan:

BETWEEN THE FUTURE AND THE PAST: HORROR! The Doctor and Clara and their allies are split between two time zones, as the clock counts down to the resurrection of the vengeful Kali! Will an ageless cult succeed where so many villains have failed? What chance does the Doctor have against a plan that has been in motion for thousands of years? Find out in the pulse-pounding finale of The Swords of Kali!

I have to admit, the first two parts of The Swords of Kali hasn’t really done much for me, feeling rather flat and long winded. That changes here, as though it’s taken nearly the entire length of this three part story to do so, it’s finally proved it’s worth. The high octane series of events, along with the energetic flow also allows for a very immersive feel, with the tempo being tense throughout.

Robbie Morrison has been doing an amazing job on the recent arc of Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, and I’m glad to say that proves the case with the latest issue of this series. Despite delivering inconsistent scripts, that are at times dull, Morrison has shown a firm understanding of this world, with the characteristics of the Doctor and his companions being spot on. He also manages to create some wonderful drama, with the tense overtones allowing for some truly suspenseful moments.

The artwork that Dave Taylor has produced over the course of this series has definitely left me torn, as though he captures the energetic tone of Morrison’s script, delivering some breathtaking scenery, he doesn’t quite convey the character likeness. That being said, I was more than captivated by his character designs on the self contained characters, with Kali in particular mesmerizing. He also managed to capture the emotion within the Doctor, with them striking eyebrows being firmly on display. The colours from Luis Guerrero also manage to excite, with his bold palette adding great depth.

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #5 is easily the best issue in the series to date, as though The Swords of the Kali will never go down as one of the Doctor’s greatest tales, this concluding chapter saves it from being one of it’s worse, coming highly recommended.